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Shadow Demons
|rarity = Uncommon |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x8 +20% To Hit Plane Shift Non-Corporeal Regeneration Poison Immunity Weapon Immunity Illusions Immunity Cold Immunity Death Immunity }} Shadow Demons are a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. Shadow Demons belong to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. The Shadow Demons possess both a and of reasonable quality, but benefit most from their wide array of other abilities, as shown in the box on the right. They also , albeit at an unusually slow pace. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description Shadow Demons are exactly what their name suggests: demonic creatures, vaguely humanoid in appearance, comprised entirely of shadows and dark energy. They float above the ground, wreathed in what appears to be some sort of purple flame. Their long, spindly bodies and limbs belie sturdier mettle. Shadow Demons are a containing up to 4 of these creatures. Attack Properties Shadow Demons possess both a Melee Attack and a Ranged Attack with similar strength, roughly on par with high-level Normal Units. However, they tend to use their Ranged Magical Attack as their primary mode of combat. Each Shadow Demon attacks with a strength of , and benefits from an innate To Hit bonus of , for an average "raw" output of per attack. With all four Shadow Demons attacking in unison, this can be quite a competent attack. Unlike most units with similar attacks, Shadow Demons may use their up to 8'' times in any battle - which is usually enough. However, if their "Spells" do run out, they have to resort to Melee Attacks. These are actually a little stronger though: each '''Demon' attacks with , and the same bonus applies to give them an average "raw" output of per attack. Defensive Properties Shadow Demons possess a rather light Defense score of , high enough to do combat with weak enemy units, but not to protect the Demons against more substantial harm. On average, the Shadow Demons will block only points from Conventional Damage attacks. However, Shadow Demons do also possess Weapon Immunity, which will raise their score to against most attacks made by Normal Units with Normal Weapons. This typically works against , , and , but not , , or . It is also ignored by all Heroes, Fantastic Units and, in the latest official game version, "generic" units (Catapults, Triremes, Galleys and Warships); as well as any unit with enchanted or enhanced quality weapons, such as those provided by a spell or an Alchemists' Guild. Shadow Demons are quite sturdy, at per Demon. This allows them to take a good amount of before being destroyed. On top of this, they possess Regeneration, a trait that will heal point of done to the Demons at the end of each combat turn. This can even restore slain Shadow Demon mid-combat as the unit heals! It also removes all Damage Points from the unit every time its army wins any battle, including reviving any completely-destroyed Shadow Demons unit, although this last effect may fail to trigger if they fell to "Create Undead-" or Irreversible Damage. Like most other creatures from the Realm, Shadow Demons also possess a variety of other immunities: Poison Immunity, Illusions Immunity, Cold Immunity and Death Immunity. These render them completely invulnerable to a wide array of Unit Curses and Special Damage attacks. In addition, they are also Non-Corporeal, nullifying several more harmful effects. Finally, even when none of these apply, the Shadow Demons possess a fairly high Resistance score of , reducing the chance of ill magic taking hold on them by a good amount. Other Properties Shadow Demons possess several abilities which truly expand their versatility, allowing them use tactics not normally available to other units. They are one of the two creatures in the game that are both and Non-Corporeal. This makes them immune to , which means they can never be stripped of their ability. However, because normally overrides Non-Corporeal movement, they also can not utilize its speed of 0.5 Movement Points per tile unless stacked with other Non-Corporeal units that do not - such as . This can be a problem because one of the greatest shortcoming of these creatures is their uncharacteristically low Movement Allowance of only . While they still enjoy many of the benefits of , such as most units not being able to engage them in melee combat, they are not even remotely as maneuverable as other airborne creatures. On the other hand, they can utilize Roads, both normal and Enchanted, like corporeal units do. Although slow-moving units typically don't make very good scouts, Shadow Demons can somewhat offset this with their ability to shift between the Planes at will (see below) and, as a result, being able to explore both maps at the same time. Plane Shifting Shadow Demons are the only creatures in the game to have an innate ability to Plane Shift, an effect duplicated by the Unit Enchantment. Whenever the Shadow Demons are selected, if they have any Movement Allowance remaining, then clicking the "Plane" button will move them from their current location to the corresponding coordinates on the other Plane. This allows the Shadow Demons to explore both Planes. When moving alone or only with other Shadow Demons, these creatures can easily evade enemy patrols or stronger armies by shifting to the other Plane, staying out of reach. They can also launch surprise attacks on enemy assets in this way, and the opponent can usually do very little about it. However, Plane Shift only works if the movement to the other Plane will not result in immediately triggering combat. It is not possible to shift into an enemy army or Town, nor into an intact Encounter Zone of any kind. Basic Tactics With most creatures being unable to heal, Shadow Demons with their innate Regeneration ability make up some of the most survivable units of this Realm. Apart from their slow movement, Shadow Demons are very versatile, and can both accompany larger armies as support units, or do battle on their own. Their Ranged Attacks are quite deadly to low- and mid-tier units, and they can also take most Normal Units head-on, provided that the enemy does not have some kind of weapon enhancement. Even against stronger units, Shadow Demons can often prevail by delaying their Melee Attacks until they have regained all of their . In addition, as long as their side is victorious, the Shadow Demons will be restored to full health and when combat ends. Because of this, while individually not as powerful as some of the higher tier Fantastic Units from other Realms, an army comprised mostly of Shadow Demons is almost unstoppable, as it will always return to full strength after each battle it wins. Enemy Shadow Demons Shadow Demons are fairly common as neutral enemy units. They are sometimes found in Encounter Zones such as Ancient Temples, Fallen Temples, Ruins and the occasional Tower of Wizardry. Shadow Demons like to appear in large hordes, especially on higher Difficulty levels, which can make battles with them very difficult. In other situations, a few Shadow Demons will accompany a large force of low-level creatures. Shadow Demons will typically start the battle by pelting their enemies with Ranged Attacks, and if there are several Shadow Demons in the opposing army this can be a real problem. Weaker units can expect heavy losses by the time they manage to close the distance. In addition, since they can't be attacked by troops without special abilities, many early units are completely useless against Shadow Demons, unless their only purpose is to soak in place of something more valuable. Shadow Demons often need to be ganged up on to destroy each individual unit entirely as quickly as possible, to prevent them from regenerating. While they are not quick enough to get away, overcoming their can be problematic for this tactic too. On the other hand, strong enough Melee Attack units may be able to destroy them with Counter Attacks alone, if they can survive long enough for the Shadow Demons to run out of spells to fire at them. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x8 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack 8 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. +20% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Plane Shift * As long as it has any Movement Allowance left on the overland map, this unit may freely switch between the planes of Arcanus and Myrror. * While the unit is selected, clicking the "Plane" button instantly transfers the unit to the corresponding tile on the other Plane. This can be repeated as necessary. * The unit may not shift into a tile that would trigger an immediate battle. This includes shifting into enemy armies, Towns or intact Encounter Zones. Non-Corporeal * This unit is immune to the effects of the , , and spells. * Since this unit is also , it ignores the normal rules of Non-Corporeal movement, unless stacked with Non-Corporeal units - in which case it can move over any terrain at a cost of 0.5 Movement Points per tile, but will not receive any benefit from Roads or Enchanted Roads. Regeneration * At the end of its combat round, this unit regains , unless it is already at full health, or all of its recorded is Irreversible. This effect can also restore lost . * If an army stack containing this unit wins a battle, the unit is restored to full health immediately at the end of the battle. This happens even if it was destroyed, although in this case, the regular suffered by the unit must surpass both any Irreversible-'' and any "Create Undead" , otherwise this effect will be disabled. * If the unit is killed in battle, and its army retreats or is defeated, the unit is destroyed and will not regenerate. Weapon Immunity * This unit is considered to have a Defense score of against attacks made by Normal Units with . Poison Immunity * This unit cannot be hurt by Poison Damage. It will automatically pass any roll to avert such damage. Illusions Immunity * Illusion Damage inflicted on this unit does not bypass its . The unit gets to make its Defense Rolls as normal. * During combat, this unit will spot all enemy Invisible creatures regardless of how close they are. Those creatures become semi-visible on the screen, and may be targeted by spells like any other unit. * This unit may not be targeted by , , , or . Cold Immunity * This unit is considered to have a Defense score of against Cold Damage. It will almost never be hurt by the and spells. Death Immunity * This unit will not be affected by most spells and abilities associated with the Realm. The Summoning Spell Usage Shadow Demons may only be cast overland, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the new Shadow Demons unit will appear in the Town currently containing the Wizard's Summoning Circle, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Shadow Demons in play, its controller is required to pay an Upkeep Cost of per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's pool at the beginning of each turn while the unit exists. Failure to pay this Upkeep due to lack of will lead to the Shadow Demons immediately disappearing, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. However, this upkeep is ''for the unit, not for the spell: Summoning Spells can not be dispelled by the enemy once cast. Naturally though, if the unit is destroyed, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Cost. Units summoned on the overland map may also be dismissed manually from their unit statistics window the same way as any other overland unit (during their controller's turn, while not in combat). Acquisition As an Uncommon Spell of the Realm, Shadow Demons may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Shadow Demons to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with book), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, and/or Conjurer Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Shadow Demons may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. Known Bugs Every time the Shadow Demons regenerate a lost in battle, they will also gain a temporary extra per , meaning not only that all of their remaining now take one more point of to destroy (or fully restore), but also that every time this happens, the unit is healed an adiditional amount of equal to its new count. This is actually the result of a more generic bug, also known as the Combat Healing Bug, the Shadow Demons just happen to possess natural statistics that are ideal for the observation of this error: it always triggers whenever the unit regains a . This bug is fixed in the Unofficial Patch 1.50 (W113FIX.TXT). Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Death